A couple days ago I received an email from my good friend, Chuck, who told me he was tempted by the new lower price of the Kindle e-book reader.
I am tempted to buy an Amazon Kindle. The price has dropped to $189. I noticed you've written about yours. Any suggestions you'd have for me? Would you buy it again? It is worthwhile? I saw a friend's Kindle at work and it is impressive. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts. Thank you.
After I finished writing Chuck I thought to myself that some of my readers might like to read my answer as well. Be advised - I am not unbiased. Most of my close friends now own a Kindle because of my never-ending Kindle happiness.
Good morning Chuck -
Ahhh.... temptation - that siren call that leads you off into a new direction! Sometimes, as in the case of Odysseus, the best you can do is to lash yourself to the mast to protect yourself against disaster. But the temptation of the Kindle is one siren call that I would advise not only listening to, but following!
I love my Kindle. To me it was a bargain at twice the present cost - which I paid in March 2009 when the Kindle 2 first came out. I have never regretted that decision, and in fact, have been pleasantly surprised with my reading habits since. At $189 the Kindle is a steal, barely covering the cost of the parts that go into it. And this doesn't even include the FREE lifetime 3G service the device provides.
All this presumes that one is a reader. Not a browser. Not a newspaper article here and a blog post there. But a sit-down for hours at a time reader - someone who loves to get lost in a story, carried away within the writer's universe. For this, the Kindle is perfect. It's lighter than most paperback books at 10.2 ounces. It's as thin as a magazine. And it's e-ink screen is perfect for reading anywhere where there's light. The device itself disappears as you become engrossed within the book.
Amazon's policy of reading anywhere anytime on anything also means that you can continue your reading on your phone or on your computer and bookmark your place when you return to your Kindle. With yesterday's release of Kindle for Android, I now read in bed with my back-lit phone until I fall asleep. When I return to my Kindle the next day, my book is in exactly where I left off on my phone!
- 20,636 Kindle Books Priced "Free" (3.31%)
- 5,217 Titles Priced from a Penny to 98 Cents (0.84%)
- 60,370 Kindle Books Priced at 99 Cents (9.69%)
- 83,249 Kindle Books Priced from $1 to $2.99 (13.36%)
- 119,484 Kindle Books Priced from $3 to $4.99 (19.18%)
- 157,562 Titles Priced from $5 to $9.98 (25.29%)
- 61,153 Titles Priced at $9.99 (9.81%)
- 8,132 Titles Priced from $10 to $12.99 (1.31%)
- 14,177 Titles Priced from $13 to $14.99 (2.28%)
- 93,097 Titles Priced at $15 and Up (14.94%)
This doesn't include the 1.8 million out-of-copyright, pre-1923 FREE titles like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, and Treasure Island.
Another huge advantage is the fact that your Kindle can carry around 1,500 books within its 2 gigabyte internal storage. Your books are literally always at hand. Recently Kindle has upgraded it's software allowing you to catalog your books into folder-like "Collections," giving the Kindle a library appeal.
I was already a reader before I bought my Kindle. But I'm sure I've read at least twice as much as I ever did before. Also, I've been exposed to authors and genres that I'm sure I would never had tried before. With the Kindle, there's much less of a barrier to try something different. Every book available in the bookstore includes a "try me out" download so you can read the beginning of the book for free to see if this is something you want or not.
And of course buying books from Amazon couldn't be simpler. You are always connected to the Amazon bookstore. Buying a book (free or otherwise) is as simple as "one-click." Quite literally within 60 seconds the book is in your hands and you're reading! You think you're tempted now by the device? Wait until you own one and are tempted by new books every day! THAT'S temptation!
Chuck, I know I sound like an Amazon Kindle salesman. I wish such a job were available. I've never owned a product that I have loved or used more than my Kindle!
Be aware that there will be a new Kindle coming out in August, but I haven't read anything about the new Kindle that makes it so revolutionary that I would be tempted to wait. It will be thinner and faster, but still will have a black and white e-ink screen. And pricing may be higher.
Hope I've helped you with your "temptation." My advice is to yield to the pleasure of better reading as soon as possible! Write me back if you have any questions.
Always your friend, Mark
